🩸 RBC Transfusion Threshold (Restrictive Strategy)
This tool gives the red-cell transfusion threshold under a restrictive strategy, by hemoglobin and clinical context.
RBC Transfusion Threshold (Restrictive Strategy)
Hemoglobin (g/L)
Clinical context
When to use
Use to decide when to transfuse stable patients by context-specific thresholds, and to recognize that active bleeding is judged clinically rather than by a number.
How it works
Threshold: stable inpatient 70, cardiac surgery 75, orthopedic/cardiovascular disease 80 g/L. Active bleeding/instability → clinical judgment, not a single threshold. Each unit raises Hb ~10 g/L.
Key points
- Between the transfusion threshold and 100 g/L, transfusion is generally withheld and individualized by symptoms and ischemia rather than the number alone. (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim)
- Active bleeding or hemodynamic instability overrides the restrictive threshold entirely.
- The restrictive strategy is non-inferior to a liberal one across most populations.
References
Decision support for licensed clinicians only; not a substitute for clinical judgement, diagnosis or local protocols.